Letters to the Editor

In the year 2000, Yale alum George W. Bush addressed the issue of education in America with this question: “Is our children learning?”

In September of this year he answered the question he posed in 2000. He based his answer on the advances reported in the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP). In response to the report Bush stated, “As yesterday’s positive report card shows, childrens do learn when standards are high and results are measured.”

Of course, the official transcript distributed by the White House cleaned up Bush’s subject-verb agreement fiasco. However, his remark was captured on video and can be seen on YouTube.

Unfortunately, Bush’s defense of his No Child Left Behind Act is far more troubling than the problems with his grammar.

According to Bruce Fulller, professor of education and public policy at the University of California at Berkeley, the NAEP scores went up in some states, but fell in others. Plus, the general upward trend in scores began well before No Child Left Behind.

I can only assume that Yale University must be on cloud 9 with pride when referring to their esteemed alum, George W. Bush.

Gordon Jones

October 5

Jones is a resident of Newburgh, Ind. and an active reader of the News.

JE master: Toleration of construction noise by

Branfordians is only fair

To the Editor:

I do not dispute your reporting of complaints from Branford College students about JE construction, nor the fact that construction necessarily causes noise. I also offer Branford students our sympathy.

However, I would point out that the distance across Library Walk between JE and Branford is about the same in each direction and JE had the privilege of listening to the Branford construction noise before Branford students were expected to endure the same. And I note, the JE Master’s House faces on Library Walk so that I have personally experienced this.

My point is that no one likes to be disturbed by construction noise but those students in Branford College, who are now complaining, enjoy a renovated college made possible by the tolerance of construction noise when Branford was under renovation. In my opinion, they owe the JE construction the same degree of tolerance.

Gary L. Haller

October 5

Haller is the Becton Professor of Engineering and Applied Science and Chemisty and the Master of Jonathan Edwards College.